Quick summary: A major review of 38 studies finds that bullied children show significantly higher rates of post traumatic stress symptoms, with younger children and direct victims most affected, and no meaningful difference between traditional and cyberbullying. Researchers stress this does not meet the formal clinical threshold for PTSD, since only a handful of studies assessed diagnosis directly, but the consistency of the symptom level evidence still points towards real psychological harm. For schools and policymakers, the message is practical: staff training to recognise trauma related symptoms and mental health screening should become standard parts of anti bullying programmes, not optional extras.
Children who are bullied at school are significantly more likely to show symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, according to a major new review of research spanning more than two decades. The findings add weight to growing calls for schools to treat bullying as a genuine trauma risk rather than simply a behavioural issue.
The study, published in Educational Research Review, brought together data from 38 peer reviewed studies involving thousands of children and young people from more than twenty five countries. Researchers from the University of Stavanger, Oslo Metropolitan University, Georgia State University and the University of Oslo led the work, updating an influential 2015 review that had focused on both workplace and school bullying.
Serap Keles, PhD, professor at the University of Stavanger, explained the motivation behind the update: “Bullying has long been linked to anxiety, depression and other mental health problems in children and youth, but whether it can produce trauma responses similar to PTSD has remained less clear. We wanted to update that picture specifically for studies with children and adolescents.”
Across the pooled studies, the overall correlation between bullying and PTSD symptoms was moderate but statistically significant. The proportion of bullied children showing symptoms above clinical thresholds varied enormously, ranging from around 12% in one study to nearly 60% in another, reflecting how differently bullying and trauma are measured across research settings.
One of the most striking findings was that younger children appeared more vulnerable. Professor Keles suggested a possible explanation: “This finding may suggest that younger children are more vulnerable to the psychological impacts of bullying, possibly due to their developmental stage and limited coping mechanisms.”
The review also examined different roles within bullying dynamics, comparing victims, those who both bully and are bullied, and children who bully others without being victimised themselves. Victims and bully victims showed notably higher associations with PTSD symptoms than children identified purely as bullies, though even the bullies group showed a meaningful link. As Professor Keles put it: “Those who bully others may also be carrying some psychological burden.”
Interestingly, the type of bullying, whether traditional face to face bullying or cyberbullying, made little difference to the strength of the association, a point likely to resonate with parents navigating their children’s digital lives.
The researchers were careful to note that formal PTSD diagnostic criteria do not automatically classify bullying as a qualifying traumatic event. Professor Keles was candid about this limitation: “Our findings do not mean bullying meets the formal diagnostic threshold for PTSD, as only a small number of the studies assessed clinical diagnosis directly. Due to methodological limitations in those studies, no firm conclusions can be drawn on that point yet.”
Even so, the evidence supporting a trauma informed approach is substantial. Looking ahead, Professor Keles said: “A number of questions remain open, particularly around why some children appear more vulnerable than others. We need more research that is longitudinal, culturally diverse and methodologically rigorous.”
With bullying affecting an estimated one in three young people worldwide, the study’s authors hope their findings will encourage schools to see emotional and psychological support as a core part of tackling bullying, not an afterthought.
